Length of hospital stay and its predictors among burn patients in a resource limited setting: a multicenter prospective longitudinal study

Abstract

Introduction: There is a paucity of data relating to length of hospital stay (LOS) among burn patients managed in hospitals with no burn units, yet this constitute a big percentage of hospitals in low-income countries. This study was aimed at determining the predictors of length of stay at three hospitals in a resource limited setting. Methods: This was a prospective longitudinal multicentre study that enrolled burn patients with moderate and severe burns according to the American Burn Association (ABA) admitted at three tertiary hospitals in western Uganda. Follow up was done till discharge. LOS and its predictors were determined using logistic regression in SPSS version 26. The cut off for prolonged hospital stay was a length of stay above the median which was 8 days. Results: This study included 101 patients with majority in the age bracket of 18–55 (56.4%). Majority were males (69.3%) from a rural setting (61.4%) and were accidentally burnt (95.0%) at home (75.2%). The median LOS was 8 days. The variables that independently predicted increased LOS were receiving medical attention after 12 h (P=0.002), burn severity according to the ABA (P=0.017), and type of procedure done (P<0.001). Conclusion: The factors independently associated with increased LOS were; time to medical attention, burn severity, and type of procedure done. Measures to ensure timely medical attention can reduce the length of stay among patients with burns even in the absence of a burn unit.